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Aurora, Illinois

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Budget Y
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Meetings Y
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Elected Officials Y
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Administrative Officials Y
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Permits, zoning Y
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Audits N
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Contracts P
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Lobbying N
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Public records Y
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Local taxes Y
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School district websites
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Transparency grading process

Aurora is the second most populous city in the state of Illinois. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Chicago's population is 197,899.[1]

[edit] The good

  • The budget is published.[2]
  • Meeting minutes and agendas are published.[3]
  • Elected officials and administrative officials are listed.[4]
  • Zoning and Permit information is published.[5]
  • Some contract information is published.[6]
  • Local tax information is published.[7]
  • I Want To feature offers answers to frequently asked questions and the option to pay certain bills online.

[edit] The Bad

  • Only limited contract information is published, including bid invitations and amounts.
  • No audit information is published.
  • No lobbying information is published.
  • Although a budget is available, the PDF document does not allow you to quickly scroll through the document, making reading the budget almost impossible.

[edit] Budget

The 2011 Aurora budget is $340,047,538.[8]

[edit] Stimulus

Rockford received $6,822,984 of federal stimulus money in eleven grants and one contracts.[9]

Type Description Amount
Contract Provide recycle timbers $73,980
Grant Head Start $515,829
Grant North Ave Resurfacing $331,504
Grant QCUL YouthBuild $699,600
Grant FAP 360 $637,000
Grant FY 2009 Recovery Act $609,325
Grant DOH and Urban Development Recovery $1,402,734
Grant Increased Demand for Services $476,631
Grant Housing Prevention Rapid Re-Housing $506,883
Grant Federal Work-Study $34,970
Grant Street Renovation $1,147,645
Grant Grant $385,883

[edit] Elected Officials

  • The Aurora Board of Aldermen is all part-time and all members hold full-time jobs in addition to their Board duties. There are four standing committee members, including three aldermen and one alternate.[10]
  • Detailed contact information is available for each member and is easily accessible .

[edit] Administrative Officials

The mission statement, responsibilities and staff names are listed, although specific contact information is dispersed.[11]

[edit] Public employee salaries

Main article: Aurora employee salaries

Annual rates of pay are published based on positions and periods of service generally, but no specific employee salary information is available. The content expired in 2009 and is not updated on the website.[12]

[edit] Transparency and Public Records

Most departments post their meetings minutes and agendas.[13]

[edit] Taxes

The main revenue for the city of Aurora is from real estate transfer taxes, food and beverage taxes, and hotel occupancy taxes.[14]

[edit] Lobbying

Main article: Illinois taxpayer-funded lobbying


[edit] External links


[edit] References

  1. ↑ U.S. Census Aurora population
  2. ↑ Budget
  3. ↑ Minutes and Agendas
  4. ↑ Elected and Administrative Officials
  5. ↑ Zoning and Permits
  6. ↑ Bid Invitations
  7. ↑ Local tax information
  8. ↑ 2011 Budget Amount
  9. ↑ Federal Stimulus
  10. ↑ Elected Officials
  11. ↑ Administrative Officials
  12. ↑ Salary
  13. ↑ Transparency and Public Records
  14. ↑ Taxes


Retrieved from "http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Aurora,_Illinois"
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